Communication Consultant

The Season, which has been planned since 2019 to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Ukraine, aims to strengthen and build cultural connections between both countries, while providing new platforms and opportunities for Ukrainian artists to connect with the UK. With the ongoing war in Ukraine, the Season’s theme is ‘Future Reimagined’, focusing on the changed needs and priorities of the Ukrainian sector, giving a voice to Ukrainian creatives, both in the UK and online.

More information: www.ukuaseason.org

Assignment Objectives and Scope

The British Council is hiring a full-time Communication Consultant to deliver effective communication campaigns to promote Season’s activities and programmes. The Consultant will be dealing with multiple stakeholders including partners, sponsor and marketing suppliers, planning and executing across all owned and paid for platforms and ensuring that each campaign is reviewed and measured for their effectiveness against planned objectives. 

Our ambition of the Season is to substantially increase our audience reach and engagement with our programme activities, forge new collaborations and involve with large number of professionals. Our audience targets are: 

• To engage with 1 500 arts professionals through our own projects and collaboration. 
• To engage with 200 000 audience through our festivals, exhibitions and events. 
• To engage with more than 500 000 professionals and wider audience in online activities and events, both live and recorded. 
• To reach out to more than 10 million people in Ukraine through digital, TV, radio and print media.  

Expected Results/Description of Responsibilities  

Under the supervision of the British Council Regional Head of Marketing, Cultural Engagement Europe and in cooperation with the British Council Country Marketing Manager Ukraine and the UK/Ukraine Season’s Senior Programme Manager, Project Managers, the consultant main responsibilities will be: 

• To develop and execute campaign strategies, both traditional and online, to maximise impact and share of voice. 
• To plan, manage and report on communication expenses of the Season.  
• To manage social media communities, engaging with them daily and work together with the digital marketing coordinator on specific initiatives and campaigns aimed at maintaining a vibrant community of people interested in our Season’s programme activities. 
• Together with marketing digital coordinator to produce, maintain and develop online content for social media channels and Season’s online platformwww.ukuaseason.org. 
• To contribute to the development of relations with national and local media and coordinate communications and other press-related duties. 
• To contribute to the Corporate Communications British Council UK office efforts to ensure delivery of the Season messages to the UK audience.
• To manage external communications agency which is engaged to support British Council in organisation and delivery of Season’s programme promotion across Ukraine from January 2022 till 31 March 2022.  
• Monitoring and reporting on marketing KPIs for the project as agreed with the Regional Head of Marketing, Cultural Engagement Europe. Providing monthly, quarterly, and final report as contribution to the overall Season’s Programme reports. 
• Sharing the results and best practice across the region marketing team and with regional and programme leaders and the Marketing Community of Practice. 
• Facilitating the successful internal communications around the Season’s activities and impact. 
• Seeking internal customer and other stakeholder feedback to monitor satisfaction with the provision of marketing services for the Season’s projects and discussing those with the country and regional marketing teams. 
• Championing the deployment of the British Council brand architecture and Season’s brand identity, monitoring partner’s compliance, and managing interventions to address and resolve reasons for non-compliance. 

Timeline/Requirements 

• The consultant needs to be available starting 9 January 2022 till 31 March 2023  
• The assignment will need full-time working schedule with 37,5 hours per week. 

Competencies and Experience Requirements 

Essential skills - shortlisting 

• Relevant degree e.g. communications, journalism, marketing, or equivalent level of experience, native Russian and Ukrainian, fluent written and spoken English (C1). 
• Considerable experience in managing communications within a large and complex organisation. 
• Demonstrable experience in providing expert advice and guidance on internal and external communications  
• Demonstrable experience in managing and mitigating internal and external communications risks and issues 

Additional skills – shortlisting and interview 

Insight  

• Strong understanding of different internal and external audiences. Use this knowledge to ensure the tone language and format of communication is easily accessible.  

Ideas 

• Able to initiate and lead the development of both reactive and proactive, integrated media campaigns that build on insight and tracking data. 
• Able to develop innovative digital communication strategies; draw on knowledge of emerging trends in digital services and social media and apply this knowledge when developing content and channels. 

Implementation 

• Demonstrate strong written communication skills.  
• Demonstrate strong editing skills to ensure quality and timely press releases, rebuttals and lines to take in response to developing stories. 

Impact 

• Able to analyse evidence to assess effectiveness of communication, analyse media monitoring results to assess the effectiveness of media strategies and inform future proactive and reactive media campaigns 
• Able to assess the effectiveness of digital communications, use the results of user feedback, tests/pilots and effectiveness indicators to improve digital communication and the user experience

Interested candidates should send their proposals to uacommunications@britishcouncil.org by Saturday 31 December (23:59 Kyiv time) with the subject line “Season Communication Consultant”. 

The proposal should include the following information: 

• CV and a cover letter responding to the ToRs which should clearly highlight experience relevant to the competencies and requirements;  
• Confirmation of the candidate’s full-time availability for the proposed timeframe.

About the British Council

The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. Its purpose is to build engagement and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people worldwide. It seeks to achieve its aims by working in education, science, governance, English and the arts. The British Council was established in 1934 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1940. It is registered as a charity in England and Wales (charity no. 209131) and Scotland (charity no. SCO37733). It is also an executive non-departmental public body, with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as its sponsoring department.

The primary charitable objectives of the British Council, as set out in the Charter, are as follows:

• Promote cultural relationships and the understanding of different cultures between people and peoples of the United Kingdom and other countries;  
• Promote a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom;   
• Develop a wider knowledge of the English language;  
• Encourage cultural, scientific, technological and other educational co-operation between the United Kingdom and other countries;   
• Otherwise promote the advancement of education. 

The British Council works in more than 110 countries around the world and employs over 7,000 staff worldwide. Its headquarters is in the UK – with offices in London, Manchester, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Further information can be found at www.britishcouncil.org.ua